Manufacture of barbed wire



Jan. 7, 1941. H. THEMER 'Em '2,227,869

MANUFACTURE OF BARBED WIRE Filed Sept. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheel l Xx d i Jan. 7, 1941. H THIEMER ET AL- 4 2,22 7,869

MANUFAC'IUHE OF BARBED WIRE- Filed Sept. 13, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Z5 M 42 4QF* l we 96 7 45 2 39 20g! f5 f5' NL.. e 5352 9]' /9 A80 r a9 Y ift Patented Jan. 7, 1941 f UNITEDr STATES PATENT orties MANUFACTURE oF BARBED WIRE Hans Thiemer, Cologne-Mulheim, and Peter heim, Germany Application September 13, 1938, Serial No. 229,744 In Germany September 17, 1937 4 Claims.

In the usual mode of manufacture of barbed Wire the barb carrier which may be a single wire or a strand, is, by alternately driving and braking the draw carriage of the barbed wire machine, drawn intermittently through the barbed wire machinaas the bunches of barbs` can only be inserted, when the carrier wire or the carrier strand is stationary. 'I'his intermittent motion stresses the machine very heavily and results in considerable wear of the individual parts of the machine.

The invention avoids these disadvantages. According to the invention, in the manufacture of barbed wire the wire or wires forming the barb carrier are not drawn intermittently through the machine as heretofore, but are fed into the machine at an always constant speed and are only momentarily arrested in front of the barb twister at equal intervals of time `for the insertion of the bunches of barbs. During the insertion of the bunches of barbs a loop will'thus each time be formed in the barb carrier, owing to the wire or wires forming the latter being fed forward, which loop is however used up again, as soon as the insertion of the bunch of barbs has been completed.

The machine according to the invention differs from the usual barbed wire machines in this, that on the feed side one or more pairs of uted rollers or similar devices for the uniform forward feed of the wires of the barb carrier are provided and that in front of the barb twister there is disposed an arresting device for holding the wire or wires of the barb carrier at the moment of insertion of the bunches of barbs. The barb twister consisting of the devices for feeding, twistingand cutting off the barb material is already known, and does not form part of the invention.

The drawings show in Fig. 1 a barbed wire machine according to the invention in elevation. Fig. 2 is a section on the line A--A in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 shows a part of the device for feeding the barb material as seen from the lefthand side of Fig. l. Fig. 4 shows the device for winding the barb material in section as seen from above. Fig. 5 shows the holding device for the wires of the barb carrier in longitudinal section. Fig. 6 is a crosssection on the line Bf-B in Fig. 5. Fig. 7 shows in longitudinal section ra modification of the holding device. Fig. 8 is a cross-section on the line C-C in Fig. 7. Further details and the mode of operation of the machine are described below.

On the base I of the machine (see Figs. 1 and 2) is mounted the main driving shaft 2 which is driven by means of pulley 3 and belt 4; The shaft 2 drives through the wheels 5 and 6, the auxiliary shaft 1, which itself drives through toothed Wheels ofwhich one pair are indicated by 8 and 9 in Fig. 2, the driving shafts l0 and I I of the pairs of uted rollers I2 and I3 with uniform speed. The individual rollers of each pair I2 and I3 are coupled together by the toothed wheels |14. By means of the pairs of rollers I2 and I3 and the grooves I5 (Fig. 2) on the rollers, the wires I8 and I6 from the supply reels I6 and I1 are grippedand fed with uniform speed into the machine.

The holding device 20 for holding the wires I8 and I9 while the barbs are being applied is described below. It is driven from the auxiliary shaft 2| which is coupled through the toothed wheels 22 and 23 with the shaft 2.

The auxiliary shaft 261s coupled with the shaft 2 through the toothed wheels 24 and 25. On the auxiliary shaft 26 is secured the crank disc 21 which by means of the crank 28 actuates the swinging lever 29 which by means of the detent 30 moves the wheel 3l with the shaft 32 a certain n distance at each revolution of the shaft 26. The shaft 32 which in this way is driven intermittently drives the device for feeding the barb material 33 and 34. This device consists of the reels 35 and 36 on which the barb material 33 and 34 is wound. The pairs of fluted rollers 31 and 38 which feed the barb material and the guiding blocks 39 and 40 introduce the barb material between the wires I8 and I9 before they are twisted together. The upper roller of the pair 31 (Fig. 3)- which is secured on the shaft 32 is coupled with the lower roller through the toothed wheel 4l. The guiding blocks 39, 40 (Figs. 2 and 3) have curved passages 42 through which the barb material 33 and 34 is introduced between the wires I8 and I9. While the pair of rollers 31 is driven directly by the shaft 32, the pair 38 of which the upper roller is mounted on the shaft 43 is coupled with the shaft 32 by means of the shaft 43, the toothed wheels 44 and 45, the auxiliary shaft 46 and the toothed Wheels 41 and 48.

The device for twisting the barbs (Figs. l, 2 and 4) consists of the hollow cylinder 58 mounted in the bearing block 49 which at its rear end is provided with twisting members 5I. In the hollow space of the cylinder 5I) (Fig. 4) projects the stationary tongue 52 which holds the wires I8 and I9 of the barb carrier apart until shortly before they reach the twisting place. On the cylinder 50 is mounted at its front end the toothed ring 53. For driving the barb twisting device there is mounted on the auxiliary shaft 26 the crank disc 54 which actuates the swinging lever 58 by means of the crank 55. The toothed segment 51 of the swinging lever 58 engages with the ring 53 of the iii keo

cylinder 59. The arrangement is such that the cylinder 50 carrying the members 5| is actuated at the instant when the barb material 33 and 34 is fed by the roller pairs 31 and 38 through the bores 42 of the guiding blocks 39 and 49 and between the wires I8 and I9 of the barb carrier so far that it can be gripped by the members I of the cylinder 50.

The device for cutting olf the barb material (Figs. 1 and 2) consist of the rotatably mounted cutter carrier 58 with the cutters 59 and 69 and the curved lever arm 8|. For driving the cutting device an auxiliary shaft 62 is provided which is coupled with the shaft 2 through toothed wheels 63 and 64. On the other end of the shaft 82 is secured the crank disc 65 which actuates the lever 8| of the cutting device by means of the crank 66. The cutters l59 and 60 when moved upwards slide with their cutting edges on the surfaces 81 and 68 of the guiding blocks 39 and 49 and thereby cut oi the barb material coming out of the passages 42 at the surfaces 61 and 68. The arrangement is made such that the cutters 59 and 60 are moved upwards on the surfaces B1 and 88 of the guiding blocks 39 and 49 each time the barb material is wound around the wires I8 and I9 of the barb carrier by means of the carriers 5| of the twisting device.

The winding drum 69 for the finished barb wire is mounted in the rotatable frame 18. This frame is coupled with the shaft 2 through the toothed wheels1| and 12' and when rotating effects the twisting of the wires I8 and I9 together. The winding drum 69 is driven by means of the belt 13. This drives by means of the pulley 14 the auxiliary shaft mounted in the hollow shaft of the wheel 12, which shaft 15 is coupled with the drum 89 vby means of the toothed wheels 19 and 11. The holding device 29 for holding the wires I8 and I9 while the barbs are being inserted (Figs. 5 and 6) consists of the bearing block 18, the slidable element 19, the bridge 89 and the balls 8| and 82. The bearing block 18 has a cylindrical bore 83 which at the frontend is flared conically at 84. 'I'he slidable element 19 is made conical at the front and cylindrical at the rear so that it fits into the hollow space 83, 84 of the bearing block 18. In the axial bore 85 of the element 19 is secured the bridge 8U which has grooves 86, 81 at both its fiat sides. By means of the bridge 80 two separate passages are formed in the axial bore 85 of the element 19 through which the wires I8 and I9 are drawn, being guided in the grooves 86 and 81. The conical part of the element 19 is provided with radial bores 88 and 89 along a diameter at right angles to the bridge 80 in which balls 8| and 82 are placed. The balls 8| and 82 are of such size that ,whenk the wires I8 and I9 are drawn in, the balls project somewhat beyond the conical part of the element 19. At the front end which projects out of the block 18 the element 19 has an annular groove 99. In this (see Fig. 2) engages the guide fork 9| of the lever 92 which is actuated under the action of the spring 93 bythe cam disc 94 on the auxiliary shaft 2|, and with it the cam disc 94 make a complete revolution from the beginning of the insertion of a bunch of barbs until the beginning of the insertion of the next bunch. The extent of the thickening 95 of the cam disc 94 corresponds to the time between twosuccessive barb inserting operations. Each time a bunch of barbs is inserted the spring 93 presses the element 19 into the conical bore 84 of the bearing block 18 whereby the balls 8| and 82 in the radial bores 88 and 89 of the element 19 are pressed inwardly and clamp the wires I8 and I9 sliding in the grooves 86, 81 of the bridge 80. When a bunch of barbs has been inserted the disc 94 has rotated until its thickened part comes into engagement with the -lever 92'. This lever with its `guide fork 9| then draws the element 19 against the action of the spring 93 so far that the balls 8| and 82 are relieved from pressure and the wires I8, I9 are released.

For equalising the intermittent movement which the wires I8 and I9 of the barb carrier experience in the twisting device, the barbed Wire before reaching the winding device 69, 18 is guided over the tensioning roller 99 arranged between the two guiding rollers 96 and 91 and acted upon by the spring 98. In this way a steady winding up of the finished barbed wire is made possible.

For the manufacture of single wire barbed wire, that is abarbed wire with only one wire for the barb carrier, the element 19 of the holding device (Figs. '1 and 8) has a correspondingly smaller axial bore 85 without a bridge through which the wire I8 is drawn. Correspondingly the slidable element 19 has only one radial bore 88 with a ball 8| for holding the wire I8, while the barbs are being applied.

Apart from the protection afforded to the in-` dividual parts of the machine, the method according to the invention has the further advantage, that the distances between the barbs will be exactly equal to one another, as, through the uniform forward feed of the wires of the barb carrier, portions of wire of exactly the same length will be delivered between the moments of insertion of successive bunches of barbs. For the same reason a far more reliable measuring and supervision of the manufactured lengths of barbed wire is possible, than is the case in the known methods and machines for the manufacture of barbed wire.

What we claim is:

l. A machine for producing barbed wire having a barb carrier consisting of a single wire, comprising means for feeding the said wire continuously and at a uniform speed into the machine, a barb twisting device and, disposed before the barb twisting device, a bearing block having an axial bore which ares conically at one end, an element with an axial bore, which i-s slidable in the bore of the bearing block, has a conical portion of the same conicity and a radial bore in the conical portion, a lever engaging said slidable element for pressing the said element into the said bearing block at equal intervals of time and a ball disposed in the said radial bore, which, when the wire is in the axial bore of the said element, projects beyond the conical surface of the element, for clamping the wire each time the element is pressed into the bearing block.

2. A machine for producing barbed wire having a barb carrier consisting of two wires, comprising means for feeding the said wires continuously and at a uniform speed into the machine, a barb twisting device and, disposed before the barb twisting device, a bearing block having an axial borewhich flares conically at one end, an element with an axial bore, which is slidable in the bore of the bearing block, has a conical portion of the same conicity and two radial bores in the conical portion, a bar disposed in the axial bore of the said element and having two grooves, one oneach side, for guiding the two wires of the barb carrier, a lever engaging said slidable element for pressing the said element into the said bearing block at equal intervals of time and two balls, each disposed in one of the said radial bores of the element, which, when the two wires of the barb carrier are in the axial bore of the element, projectl beyond the conical surface thereof for clamping the two wires of the barb carrier each time the element is pressed into the bearing block.

3. In a machine for producing barbed wire, in combination, means for feeding the wires forming the barb carrier continuously and at a uniform speed into the machine, an intermittently operated barb twisting device for applying the barbs successively to the said wires, and, arranged in front of the barb twisting device, intermittently actuated holding means for gripping said wires and holding them fast whenever the barb twisting device is operated for applying the barbs to the wires.

4. In a machine for producing barbed wire, in

combination, means tor feeding the wires forming the barb carrier continuously and at a uniform yspeed into the machine, a barb twisting device, and, arranged in front of the barb twisting device, a bearing block having an axial bore which ares conically at one end, an element having axial guides for the wires forming the barb carrier and which is slidable in the bore of the bearing block and has a conical portion of the same conicity and radial bores in the conical portion, a lever engaging said slidable element for pressing the element into the bearing block at equal intervals of time, and balls in the radial bores of the element, which when the wires of the barb carrier are in the axial guides of the element, project beyond the conical surface there* of for clamping the wires of the barb carrier each time the element is pressed into the bearing block.

HANS THIEMER. PETER HILLESHEIM. 

